Maine School District takes energy-saving pledge

Tuesday

Nov 27, 2012 at 3:15 AMNov 27, 2012 at 11:21 AM

NORTH BERWICK — MSAD 60 (the school district for the towns of Berwick, North Berwick, and Lebanon, Maine) joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT Campaign by enabling the power management, or sleep mode, on their computers, monitors and photocopying equipment.

This simple step will help reduce the nation’s growing demand for electricity, save organizations money and help fight global warming.

If all computers, monitors, and office equipment in the U.S. were set to sleep when not being used, the country could save more than 44 billion kWh or $4 billion worth of electricity and avoid the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of about 5 million cars each year.

“We are proud to be part of this effort to reduce the carbon footprint of our IT operations, said Chris Russo, IT Director for MSAD 60. “The efficient use of computers and office electronics is not just good for our bottom line, it’s good for the environment.”

MSAD 60 joins the ranks of leading businesses and organizations who are participating in the ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT Campaign, including Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., Association of Bay Area Governments Energy Watch, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dell, Inc., Fox Entertainment Group, Inc., HP, Microsoft, OfficeMax, City of Portland (OR) Public Schools, City of San Jose (CA), and Snohomish (WA) County Public Utility District.

Power management enables computers and other equipment to go into a low-power sleep mode after a period of inactivity. Power management has the potential to save up to $50 per computer annually. Despite the significant savings, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, only a scant five to ten percent of U.S. organizations have deployed these power saving settings.

To join the ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT Campaign, organizations simply take an online pledge to activate power management features on their computers and electronics to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. Organizations can increase energy savings further by purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified computers and monitors. In turn, EPA provides free assistance to help implement power management, an estimate of the organization’s energy and carbon savings, and official recognition from the agency. Organizations can join the campaign by visiting www.energystar.gov/lowcarbonit

For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937)